ELECTRICITY SERVICE.

Evening Star, Issue 21881, 19 November 1934, Page 3

ELECTRICITY SERVICE.

■ TO THE EDITOR. Sir—l understand it to be a standiuo- duty when one’s electric light fails to°comiminicatc with the City Council for it to send out and test the circuit for faults or any danger, rather than have any householder tinker with it himself. Last night I returned from the country, rather tired and dusty and 'was in the middle of a bath when all lights suddenly went out. My wife walked nearly half a mile to ring the Electric Department test room to report the fault. It was just ton minutes to nine when she rang, and the answer received was: “ There is no one on dutv. If you want a man to-night you will have to pay overtime also Ills taxi hire.” When my wife returned with this message my mind went to Christchurch and compared the service given there with tho reply received here. Of course, anything could have happened: the house might have caught fire, or there might have been illness in the house and rot a light. Seemingly it was all the same to onr citv officials. I wonder whether, it M‘lndoc’s lights failed at 8.40 p.m. ho would he told to wait tdl the morning. If this is DimednTs men of service to consumers and ratenavers I would like their definition of dilitonne=s. —I am. cte., £l2 Rates. November 15.

[The city electrical engineer explains that the complaint hook logged the telephone call at" 0.2 p.m.. and it was not received at 8.40 p.m.. as the cnnespondent states. Had the ring been received at the latter time the man "on test room duty would have immediately investigated the trouble. After 9 o’clock on Wednesdays the service expires, as the complainant was advised at the time, and if light were required the department would have to engage a taxi to fetch the man from his private residence. The correspondent was also told that if the trouble was due to a fault in the installation he would be charged with the cost of the taxi fare.—Ed. E.&. [